to linda & other belgian hippies

[Guest guest]

Dear Folks,

Thanks so much for all of the info you've given. I've gotten

the " what to pack " and " how to email home " questions answered,

thanks to many of you. I'm wondering if there are phones in the

Belgian hospital rooms so friends and family can call?

Also, I don't think my OS is willing to prescribe pain meds to take

with me, and, as I've said before, Tylenol does absolutely nothing

for me. Have any of you NOT taken your own pain meds with you and

asked the nurse or Dr. DeSmet for more medicine, and did they give

more to you??? I know I sound like a big baby about pain (and I am)

but I'm already needing a fair amount of meds to deal with the pain

now before surgery. (I had a hip scope operation for a labral tear

and sheared cartilege last July, and have been on crutches with

increasing pain since then.) I feel vulnerable about the thought of

lying there in a foreign hospital in uncontrolled pain.

And a small thing, but very irritating--my insurance company won't

pay for my sock applier and raised toilet seat because they are

for " personal convenience and personal hygiene " and not " medically

necessary. " I told them that I thought going to the bathroom and

getting dressed were certainly not " convenience items " to me, that

dressing and toileting independently are 2 of the 5 (or whatever)

basic life activities as considered by other insurance companies.

They said well someone else could use the raised toilet seat

for " convenience. " How is the ability to go to the bathroom not a

necessity? I hate stuff like that. I know it's a drop in the

bucket compared to what I'll put out financially, but I needed to

vent, and I thought this was the place. :-)

Limmpy